Reduction in the fatigue life reduction of structural materials of nuclear components in LWR water was initially detected and examined by the authors in the 1980s, who subsequently directed considerable effort to the development of a method for evaluating this reduction quantitatively. Following the establishment of equations to calculate environmental fatigue life reduction for carbon and low alloy steels in 1985 by Higuchi and Sakamoto [1], appeared based on numerous new fatigue data obtained under various environmental and mechanical test conditions. The latest models for evaluation using Fen of the environmental fatigue life correction factor were proposed for carbon and low alloy steels in the year 2000 and for austenitic stainless steel, in 2002. Fen depends on some essential variables such as material, strain rate, temperature, dissolved oxygen and sulfur concentration in steel. The equation for determining Fen is given by each parameter for each material. These models, having been developed three to five years ago, should be properly revised based on new test results. This paper reviews and discusses five major topics pertinent to such revision.

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